1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to the field of educational games, and more specifically to a game for teaching arithmetic. It includes tokens and a game board having a counterclockwise directed, marginal travel route around four playing sides. The travel route is divided into a series of rectangular spaces serving as stopping points for the tokens, including a beginning space. The game also includes a die, an arithmetic problem, preferably one of multiplication and printed horizontally within each of the majority of spaces with the smaller factor number appearing first, answer cards, and scattered spaces containing instructions rather than a problem, play money and investment cards. Also included is a method of playing the game including the steps of rolling the die, advancing a token along the travel path the number of spaces indicated on the die, offering a solution to any arithmetic problem contained within the space at which the token comes to rest, comparing the offered solution to the correct solution appearing on an answer card, keeping the token on the space if the offered solution matches the answer card solution, and returning to the beginning space if the offered solution does not match the answer card solution. The winner of the game is determined either by which player first completely travels the route around the board or by which player has the most money at that moment. The game is offered at several levels of difficulty.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There have long been games for entertainment and instruction. Contemporary educational games have origins in various skill and chance games played over the centuries in diverse regions of the world. Games involving chance include card games, which probably originated in Hindustan about A.D. 800, and made their way to Italy by 1279. From Italy these card games spread to Germany, then to France and Spain.
The best known game of skill is probably chess. Some scholars believe chess was invented in India thousands of years ago and later introduced to Persia. The term chess in fact comes from an ancient Persian word for king. The game later appeared in China, and in the A.D. 600's was brought to Europe by the Arabs. The playing pieces were given their present form during the fifteenth century.
Various board games have also evolved in which each player is represented by a single game piece or token, and the pieces race each other across the board to a predetermined destination. According to Board & Table Games, by R. C. Bell, 1969, a great many spiral race board games were invented between 1750 and 1850, some for entertainment only, and others for teaching history, geography and scripture. An example of a spiral race board game is that of Jubilee, which dates from at least 1810. Twelve sections of paper are pasted onto a linen backing, forming a counterclockwise spiral of pictures, numbered from 1 to 150. Six players each have a colored marker which they advance an extent indicated by spinning a teetotum. The players pay fines and receive rewards as they progress through the game. The first player scoring exactly 150, referred to as Jubilee, wins the game. By 1850 an oval race game, appropriately called the Game of the Race, appeared. Players were each provided with a playing piece in the shape of a horse and jockey. Movement across the board was controlled by rolls of a six-sided die. Modern board and race games have been developed to teach academic subjects, examples of which are found in various issued patents.
Kenney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,106, issued on Sep. 17, 1963, discloses an educational board game having a travel path divided into stopping spaces. The travel path includes a main outer circuit and a branch path diverging inwardly therefrom for each player. Each player must travel around the outer circuit first, and then travel to the end of his branch path. Most of the stopping spaces are marked with geometric designs indicating a particular type of arithmetic problem to be solved. Other scattered spaces may contain directions. The player receives fractional disc parts from a game bank to manipulate to solve problems. To play the game, a player rolls a pair of dice and advances the number of spaces shown. Then the player draws a problem card matching the geometric design in the space on which he stops, the card having a problem to be solved on its other side. Each player receives points for correctly solving problems, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins, the game ending when one player completes the circuit and arrives at the end of his branch path. A problem with Kenney is that it teaches dependency on using the fractional discs to solve problems. Another problem is that Kenney is offered for only one level of difficulty, so that only a narrow range of persons can benefit from it. Finally, only one player sees each problem, and only momentarily while a card is drawn, minimizing exposure and increased familiarity with the subject material.
Schoenberg, U.S. Pat. No. 2,320,832, issued on Jun. 1, 1943, discloses at least two different game boards, one being checkered with a diagonal dividing line. Numerals appear in light squares on either side of the line, and these numerals decrease to zero as they approach the line. Each player receives six tokens called men, and spins a dial which comes to rest indicating a number. The player subtracts the indicated dial number from the number in a square on which any of his men rests, and moves such man to any square which bears a number equal to the remainder. The player may move only parallel to an edge of the board. By thus moving men to lower numbered squares, the men advance toward the line. When all of a player's men are positioned in zero value squares adjacent to the line, the game ends. The score for each player is based on the number and location of each of the player's remaining men. A problem with this game is that it is not always clear who is leading, and this diminishes the excitement of the competition. And, once again, a question is only momentarily viewed. Another version of the game is played with cards and no board, and is supposed to teach the multiplication tables. A second game board is similar in design to that commonly used for SCRABBLE.TM., a trademark of the Milton Bradley Company. Blocks with numbers and operation symbols are placed on the SCRABBLE-like board to create interlocking horizontal and vertical equations rather than words. The player receives one point for each correct and complete equation. A problem with this arrangement is that there is no answer key to verify all possible combinations. Another problem is that players lose the excitement of a race around a path in which their relative positions are clearly apparent. Finally, only one level of difficulty is apparently provided.
Denalsky, U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,946, issued on Aug. 27, 1974, teaches an educational board game having a travel path extending from a start box to a finish box. Squares painted colors to contrast with adjacent squares form steps in the path. To play, a die is thrown, the player moves a token the indicated number of spaces, and then draws a card presenting a question and containing a hidden answer. If the player solves the problem correctly he rolls the die again, progressing in this way until a wrong answer is given. When the player gives a wrong answer, the token moves back three spaces and the next player takes a turn. Random free spaces are provided along the path to create rest pauses. The game continues until a player reaches the finish box. A stack of cards is selected having a difficulty level to suit a particular school grade or age group. A problem with Denalsky is that the questions are only momentarily displayed to a single player when a card is drawn, limiting exposure to the subject matter.
Calloway, U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,254, issued on Dec. 22, 1987, teaches a game board containing an outer travel path having player spaces marked with pictorial or printed indicia, an inner travel path made up of spaces indicating subject classes, sets of cards representing tests and lessons, a dial to spin to determine how many spaces along the outer path the player is to advance, and two tokens to move and indicate position. The player spins the dial and moves his first token along the outer path. Some spaces it lands on are instructional, stating that the token is to be moved ahead or back a certain number of spaces, while other spaces will say to take a lesson or a test, and the player draws a card accordingly. If the player misses a question he stays where he is. If he answers all questions on the card correctly, he advances his second token one space along the inner path, indicating mastery of a class. When a player's second token has moved through all inner spaces or classes, he wins and the game is over. Two to eight players can play at once. A problem with Calloway is that, once again, the questions are only momentarily displayed while a card is drawn. Another problem is that the game presents several subject areas at once, which could prove overwhelming and ineffective. Hausman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,320, issued on Jun. 14, 1977, discloses an educational game intended for teaching many different subjects. A game board is provided having its surface divided into one hundred rectangular spaces called stations, and a central area for groups of cards. A player rolls dice and advances a token the number of spaces shown on the dice clockwise on the board, and draws a card corresponding to the type of station on which it lands. Some spaces contain instructions instead, such as to advance or fall back several spaces. Some of the cards contain teaching materials, such as an arithmetic problem, and show the solution on the back of the card. A correct answer is required for advancement. Any number of persons can play. The problems presented by Hausman are the same as those identified for Calloway.
Bearing in mind the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an educational game which places numerous arithmetic problems in the constant view of the players to maximize their exposure to and familiarity with arithmetic expressions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a game which offers multiple levels of playing difficulty.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a game for teaching a simplified way of solving a multiplication problem from memory by placing the smaller factor first.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide such a game offering the competition of a race along a path which, at a beginning level, makes readily apparent at any given moment which player leads and by how much.
One more object of the present invention is to provide such a game which is easy to understand and inexpensive to manufacture.